School lunches in France!

**Ceashels** · 04-15-2011, 11:41 AM

School lunches being prepared and served in France. [VIDEO]

So much better than American school lunch diet. More costly but wow.... when the kids eat better at school then at home.... !!!

It is so good to see nutrition and food put ahead of the costs.

**FrabjousDay** · 04-15-2011, 12:43 PM

Wouldn't that be wonderful? Sigh.

**annymoll** · 04-15-2011, 12:55 PM

I disagree with the concept that it is healthy to deep fry vegetables in order to get children to eat them. I don't like all the cream sauces. Today on the menu here for the grade school there was baked chicken legs, baked french fries, raw carrot sticks with FF dressing or salsa and grapes. I think that is healthier than what I saw on the French menu.I like the idea of making sure everything is tidy.

**joyofsix** · 04-15-2011, 01:05 PM

Well our schools today are serving pizza, peas (canned) and jello with chocolate or white whole milk. Yuk!

**pollypurebred39** · 04-15-2011, 01:08 PM

Most notably what is missing from these French school lunches is chemicals, additives & colorings. What's glaring is the freshness of the food, the skill employed, and the care that goes into feeding the children. Oh my, what a concept!

**FrabjousDay** · 04-15-2011, 01:11 PM

Lunch here is absolutely appalling. On the menu today...cheeseburgers (just the thought of the awful meat they use makes me cringe, and I don't care that it's served on a "whole grain bun"), fries and a fruit cup. Staples on our school's menu...nachos with meaty cheese sauce, mini corn dog nuggets, pizza, stuffed cheese sticks, and hot dogs.

**mauimagic** · 04-15-2011, 01:16 PM

Did you notice - no paper plates? Great point of view to take towards eating - mahalo that was so interesting!!

**imagine** · 04-15-2011, 02:47 PM

It looked yummy.

I liked that they said about time to eat and all the other social aspects for eating. I tend to see that here in our schools with little kids like three but not older children. "Americans gobble their food" they say I say we learned it at school.

I agree didn't like the deep fry food to get the children to eat broccoli comment. I have seen many a young child gooble up many a veggie with out deep frying including broccoli.

Our school lunch is good compared to others in US.

Lunch always has a 1 protein source 2 starch source 1 veggie and 1 fruit and a carton of milk. Although today that have 2 veggies and a fruit, So three of their 5 a day.

They also like to mix the selections up and possibly introduce the kids to new foods. you should have seen the first day Beets were on the menu. The other children were like what are those? My kids were like Dude they are beets. Same things happened when beans were on the menu and I'm not talking baked beans here.

**imagine** · 04-15-2011, 02:49 PM

Originally Posted by mauimagic

Did you notice - no paper plates? Great point of view to take towards eating - mahalo that was so interesting!!

Do the little children in your preschool eat of paper plates?

The little ones her do not but the older ones just recently started to use throw away trays. sigh.

**imagine** · 04-15-2011, 04:18 PM

Originally Posted by joyofsix

Well our schools today are serving pizza, peas (canned) and jello with chocolate or white whole milk. Yuk!

Whole Milk! I missed that the first read.

At school the kids get a 2%milk if they want chocolate it is skim milk Middle school and high school have water as drink choice.

Little Miss doesn't get milk ( can't drink it) and can take whatever I send. I send water.

**katholc** · 04-15-2011, 06:25 PM

When I was nursing in the school locally foam trays were used by everybody. Breakfast usually consisted if grits, toast and applesauce. occasionally grits and eggs and even less often a meat. If a child couldn't eat something on the tray there was no substitute offered. Lunch was more balanced but still not very good.

**Nishu** · 04-15-2011, 07:53 PM

I'm not above deep frying my vegetables to get my kids to eat them. It's just something I hadn't thought of yet.

Who can argue with them? I think the French typically enjoy a high fat diet and (previously anyway) they had been much thinner than here in the US. Besides, broccoli is an acquired taste, just like other vegetables. If you're getting it deepfried, the broccoli flavor is going to be something you get used to and start to associate with good food.

If you introduce a kid to broccoli when it's plain and steamed, you're not going to get a good reaction. Later on when you tell that kid that you're having broccoli, no matter how it's served, they're going to go "ew, gag me" or something else equally bratty. You introduce it to a kid deep fried or smothered in fatty, yummy goodness, then the next time you tell your kid you're having broccoli, they're going to be much more receptive. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but you really have to think like a kid to get it. Kids don't make a lot of sense.

**HappyMama** · 04-15-2011, 08:07 PM

I use to be on a school board, I could tell you stories. But I am sure you all know them, seen them or well have seen Jamie Oliver

for a slight indication...LOL

What a beautiful, clean kitchen and staff, great hygiene program, and healthy meals. What a concept

**YankeeMom** · 04-15-2011, 08:44 PM

Originally Posted by Nishu

If you introduce a kid to broccoli when it's plain and steamed, you're not going to get a good reaction.

Not necessarily. Steamed & plain is just about the only way my kids get broccoli. And they all love it. Very very rarely (2-3x/year) do they have it with cheese on it. My 9yo ds actually prefers his broccoli raw (yuk!) lol.

I thought the video was interesting from a food safety perspective. I love that every bottle, package, produce is thoroughly washed before being sent to the schools. I really like that small children are being exposed to a variety of foods.

Today the k-6 schools served pizza (again), "garden salad" (which is a clump of iceberg lettuce w/ Italian dressing), Fruit Bar (nutri-grain type), and pineapple. And chocolate milk, can't forget the chocolate milk

The kids have school 15 days this month (spring break next week) and of those 15 it breaks down to this:

Pizza - 3 days
meatball subs - 2 days
chicken nuggets - 3 days
french toast/waffle sticks - 2 days
grilled cheese - 1 day
tacos - 1 day
hot dogs - 1 day
mac & cheese - 1 day